Thursday, September 05, 2013

Party Games 50/54 Socialist Equality Party

The Socialist Equality Party is the Australian branch of the International Committee of the Fourth International, which has its origins with Trotsky (of whom most I know is that the Snowball from Animal Farm is based on him), so they at least can claim to be part of something big and long running, even if their patch of it has only been running since 1998. They are very big on mobilizing the working class for the struggles ahead at home and abroad.

Their policies include reducing unemployment by embarking on massive infrastructure projects, a higher minimum wage, universal free health care, free education, nationalization of banks and large corporations, and better treatment of refugees. Like the Socialist Alliance, I feel these are mainly laudable goals, but nationalizing everything is not the way to get there.

The Socialist Equality Party has senate candidates in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and West Australia.